CHENNAI: A decade after getting approval, the state highways department has shelved plans to construct foot overbridges/subways at three major junctions in the Guindy - Koyambedu stretch of Jawaharlal Nehru Road (Inner Ring Road) and at Guindy near MKN Road junction on GST road.
A GO approving construction of four FOB or subways at Ekkattuthangal, Koyambedu and near Kasi theatre on Jawaharlal Nehru Road and MKN junction in Guindy on GST, which was issued in June 2012, was withdrawn recently, said official sources.
After the feasibility studies failed to sync with the proposal, the department dropped the plans. The locals and office-goers say crossing the road during peak hours is a challenge. The Inner Ring Road handles more than 1.2 lakh vehicles per day.
“An alternate option of providing FOB at Ekkattuthangal and a few other places have also been studied. Although vertical clearance was sufficient between the existing road level and the bottom of the deck of the metro rail bridge for building FOB, the presence of traffic signal junctions posed a hindrance. Hence, providing FOB near signal junction will not serve the purpose,” said the GO.
For similar reasons, plans near Kasi theatre were also dropped. In the meantime, to ease congestion in front of CMBT, a 12-m wide subway was proposed between two piers of Koyambedu flyover. However, this plan too failed to materialise.
“The space available between two piers does not provide sufficient space for the construction of a subway. Besides, the water mainline (diameter of 1200 mm) lies 1.5m below the ground level. Hence, construction of FOB is not feasible,” said the order.